Informatiefolders:

The corona virus: what does it mean for you and your pregnancy?

The corona virus (COVID-19) has a major impact on everyone. Especially now that the government has called for social distancing. What does this mean if you are pregnant or have just given birth?

This is a difficult and uncertain time, especially if you are pregnant. Your midwife will do everything to guide this special period in your life and that of your partner in the best way. We are trained to assess risk and medical necessity and will continue to discuss with you what care you need.

All midwives do their utmost to minimize the chance of infection and spread of the corona virus. That is why we will work in a different way. This means: more telephone appointments and fewer checks in practice if these are not necessary.

Below you can read more about how we will work in the coming period and what measures we have taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

We wish everyone a lot of strength and hope for your understanding and cooperation to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.

On March 13, 2020, the Dutch organization for midwives (KNOV) gave advice on the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These measures were implemented for for your health and for ours as healthcare providers. On May 7 the KNOV reported on further broadening of our care from May 11.

From May 11 we can offer the regular checks again as before.
To be able to do this safely and to follow the advice of the RIVM, we request that if possible, for regular checks you come to the practice on your own. This is to be able to guarantee a 1.5 m distance in the waiting room at all times and also to keep the risk of contamination for you and ourselves as low as possible. If your partner does come along and there are no allocated seats available in the waiting area anymore (1.5 m away), we ask the partners to wait outside for a signal to enter.

Children or other people / family members are not allowed to come to the appointments (both pregnancy check-ups and ultrasounds). Nor can they wait in the waiting room of the practice.

This way we keep the waiting room as empty as possible and we limit contacts within the practice.

• We can no longer offer coffee / tea or water.

• We will not shake hands with you when we meet.

We request you:

• To sit 1.5 m apart in the waiting room. These spots are marked with a heart on the ground.

• To disinfect your hands upon entry. The hand alcohol pump is at the coffee table.

• To stay at home if you have complaints of a cold / snot / cough / sneezing / fever / shortness of breath, do not come to the midwifery practice, but call us to change your appointment. If you have any concerns about these complaints and would like to have a check up, call the attending midwife for consultation.

• It is also necessary that partners stay at home if they have complaints of a cold / sniffling / coughing / sneezing / fever / shortness of breath.

Intake (by telephone)

If this is your first pregnancy with us, we will book the first consultation at our practice. However, if you prefer to have your first consultation by telephone, this is also possible. The assistent will then schedule an intake by telephone.
If you received midwifery care by us before in (a) previous pregnanc(y)ies, we will schedule the intake by telephone. If you prefer to come to the practice for a personal intake, please let us know when making an appointment.
Partners can join if desired, provided they are also complaint-free.
Counseling about prenatal tests currently remains by telephone.
Please note that we can call anonymously. If there is no answer, we will try again later.

Ultrasounds

All ultrasounds are possible again, both ultrasounds on medical grounds and ultrasounds at your own request.

The partner is also welcome during the ultrasound appointment. We are very happy with this, because this was a difficult measure, but it also requires some organization. Particularly because of the limited waiting space capacity where everyone has to keep 1.5 m distance from each other. In order to make this possible, on some days we will request the partners on some days to wait outside at the back of the building before the ultrasound and to enter the practice through the back door. This will then be indicated on the front door. The woman takes a seat in the waiting room. At the back we will place a sign with the house number ‘15’ on the door. On departure you can both leave the building through the back door. This is to ensure a 1.5 m distance in the waiting room at all times.

Children or other people / family members may not come to the appointment for the ultrasound. Nor can they wait in the waiting room of the practice.

For pregnant women with complaints that fit with corona, the ultrasound will be postponed. If you have complaints, call the midwife in advance for consultation.

Partners with complaints of a cold / sniffing / coughing / sneezing / fever / shortness of breath may not come along to the consultations or ultrasound. Video calling is still an option.

Birth

As of yet we have we have not received any further information from the hospitals in Amsterdam about the midwifery care during the delivery. We expect a message soon.
The advice from the KNOV is that in addition to the partner, one extra person can attend the delivery, if this is desired by the pregnant woman.

As soon as we receive a message from the hospitals and the Bevalcentrum West, we will inform you.

You can still give birth at home, at the birth center or in the hospital if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy. The following also applies: report corona-related complaints before the midwife comes to your home.

Maternity care

Also about post partum care concerning the maternity visits, we are still waiting for a message from the maternity care organizations (kraamzorg). As soon as we receive notification of this, we will inform you and togheter with the Kraamzorg and parents expand maternity visits. Until further notice, most maternity visits will be by telephone and we will visit you at least once.

The advice is to limit maternity visits. The guideline for home visits is: to receive a maximum of 3 people. Each other should be kept 1.5 meters away. Mother and child do not belong to a separate risk group.
For the time being, visitors are still welcome if the Kraamzorg is not present in the house. This may change in the short term.

Heartbeat consultation hour

Until further notice we cancel the heart consultation hour. If there is a need to come and listen to the heartbeat of your baby once more, this is possible by appointment. You can then contact the assistant to make an appointment. This way we avoid an overcrowded waiting room.

Always call us on our emergency number 06-52520112 if:

• You are severely nauseous in early pregnancy, you spit out everything and cannot keep anything inside, including liquid food.

• You are more than 20 weeks pregnant and you have complaints that may be related to high blood pressure. These complaints can occur independently of each other; severe nausea, headache, upper abdominal pain, sudden fluid retention, seeing crazy spots and colors, inability to see or pain between your shoulder blades.

• You do not feel or do not feel the baby move well from 26 weeks of pregnancy.

• With vaginal bleeding or vaginal fluid loss.

• With a fever above 38 degrees, measured rectally.

• You are not yet 37 weeks pregnant and you have stomach and / or back pain that comes and goes.

• Stay home with colds / coughs / sniffles and other health problems, do not come to the midwifery practice, but call your appointment.

We are and remain available for all care. If you are unsure or just want to discuss something, don't hesitate to contact us!

Pregnant women and women in their maternity period have many questions and concerns about the corona virus. That is why midwives and psychologists from Amsterdam have started a free online community. Here you can ask all your questions to our professionals. Get your information and tips, exchange experiences and support each other.

Method: Once a week a 90 minute online meeting for a period of three weeks. Maximum of 10 participants per group. Each group is guided by a midwife and psychologist. Based on the number of registrations, a new group starts every week.

Who can participate:

Pregnant women (> 32 weeks) together with women in their maternity period.

Pregnant women (<32 weeks).

How can you join: Send an email to info@elaa.nl. Mention for which group you want to register. After registration you will receive an email with further instructions.